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U.S., Iraqi Forces establish joint information sharing center in Diyala

Jul-26-2009 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

Multi-National Division – North

DIYALA, Iraq – Soldiers with 25th Infantry Division, keep information flowing and, at the same time, build relationships with their Iraqi counterparts at a new joint operations center in Diyala.

Located at Forward Operating Base Lion, Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery Regiment and their counterparts, the Iraqi Army’s 18th Brigade, 5th Division, operate the Combined Operations and Intelligence Cell, the latest joint concept developed by both Iraqi and U.S. forces. The new center is primarily devoted to keeping lines of communication open between the two units, as they continue to work together towards a common purpose.

Capt. Lucas Sandidge, Officer-in-charge of the COIC, said the cell’s mission is to rapidly report significant activities, track all combined Iraqi Army and Coalition forces movements and track IA units operating without a Coalition partner within the battalion’s area of operations.

The method the COIC uses is simple. Soldiers operate a tactical operations center, much like a battalion headquarters. Using interpreters, they feed all information they receive to an almost identical IA TOC in the next room.

"Our mission here is a partnership with the IA to track patrol and missions between the Iraq Army and U.S. Army,” said Staff Sgt. Luceldic Harrison, the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the intelligence cell. “We receive the patrol tracker from our units, then we sit down with the IA and discuss what they are tracking and ensure we are tracking the same missions.”

The cell was set up before June 30, and was created in part to support the Security Agreement.

“It’s those hard dates [in the SA] that bring about change and growth in the GOI and IA,” said Sandidge “One of the things the COIC does is ensure that as the growth happens, things are getting done the right way, and people are communicating.”

One of the challenges the COIC came across when first setting up was the lack of communication between themselves and the IA.

“We have to make sure we are always talking to them and making sure they are comfortable enough to talk to us,” said Harrison.

The cell has found many ways to build relationships; sometimes it is as simple as sitting down and talking with their IA partners.

“It’s like making friends. For someone to fully trust you and tell you everything…you need to sit down with them and talk, even if it’s simple things like cars or how their families are doing,” Harrison said.

The Soldiers of the COIC continue to keep the lines of communication open between the 18th Bde. and 2-8 FA, ensuring the Iraqi – U.S. partnership continues to grow.


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